Pie tamping and perforating mechanism



1962 R. K. GALLOWAY 3,016,847

PIE TAMPING AND PERFORATING MECHANISM Original Filed April 30, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 16, 1962 R. K. GALLOWAY 3, ,8 7

PIE TAMPING AND PERFORATING MECHANISM Original Filed April 30, 1956 6 SheetsSheet 2 F'IlE-' E.'

INVENTOR ROBERT K. GALLOWAY ATTORNEY Jan. 16, 1962 R. K. GALLOWAY 3,015,847

PIE TAMPING AND PERFORATING MECHANISM Original Filed April 30, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ROBERT K. GALLOWAY av A/Iww ATTORNEY 1962 R. K. GALLOWAY 3,016,847

PIEL TAMPING AND PERFORATING MECHANISM Original Filed April 30, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 0 l N g m L9 10 mo mow (D m to 00$ (DID I I 5| m g P a 00 g 0) NO v 0 \NK 9 9 9!: m 0 m OWQ 99: LY

II3 QL INVENTOR ROBERT K. GALLOWAY ATTORNEY Jar 1. 16, 1962 R. K. GALLOWAY 3,016,847

PIE TAMPING AND PERFORATING MECHANISM Original Filed April 30, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 F 1|3 m 62 6 o5 INVENTOR ROBERT K. GALLOWAY ATTORNEY Jan. 16, 1962 K. GALLOWAY 3,015,847

PIE TAMPING AND PERFORATING MECHANISM Original Filed April 30, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 L I INVENTOTR ROBE K. GALLO ATTORNEY United States Patent 7 Claims. c1. 107-1 This invention relates to packaging machines, and particularly to an assembly for tamping and perforating the upper crust of pies prior to the insertion thereof into a carton.

This application is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 581,402, entitled Machine For Inserting Articles Into Cartons, filed April 30, 1956, now U.S. Patent No. 2,906,392 dated September 29, 1959.

An object of the instant invention is to provide an improved mechanism for tamping and perforating the upper crust of pies prior to their insertion into cartons.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tamping and perforating mechanism adapted to tamp and perforate the upper crust of a pie as it moves on a conveyor without interrupting the movement of the pie.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a pie cartoning machine including the pie tamping and perforating mechanism of the present invention, viewed from the discharge end thereof toward the receiving end, and showing the side of the machine which will be referred to as the right side.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan of a portion of the machine shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective illustrating the drive mechanisms for the machine illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view taken as indicated by the line 44 of FIG. 2 and showing in front elevation the pie tamping and perforating mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 66 of FIG. 5, illustrating the planetary gearing for the tamping mechanisms.

FIG. 7 is a perspective of one of the t amping and perforating units.

FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 are schematic views showing the action of one of the tamping and perforating units in coaction with a pie on the pie conveyor.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, the device of the present invention is generally used with a pie packaging machine of the type described in my copending application. The packaging machine comprises a pie conveypr A adapted to receive pies from a pie making machine (not shown) and convey the pies past the pie tamping and perforating mechanism B of the present invention to a pie inserting station F. A car-ton erecting mechanism D is adapted to erect cartons from a flattened condition to an open and erect condition on a carton conveyor E, disposed parallel to and operating in timed relation with the pie conveyor A. The pic inserting mechanism F is adapted to transfer the pics from the pie conveyor A to open cartons on the carton conveyor E, and thereafter the carton conveyor conducts the cartons through a carton closing and locking mechanism G.

For purposes of the present description, the pie receiving end of the machine will hereinafter be referred to as the rear end of the machine, the pie discharge end as the forward end, and the sides will be designated as right and left sides to correspond to the right and left sides, respecice tively, of a person standing at the rear end looking toward the discharge end of the machine.

Referring noW particularly to FIG. 2 the pie conveying mechanism A comprises an endless conveyor belt 50 trained around sprocket-like drums 48 and 49 (FIG. 3) rotatably mounted one adjacent each end of the machine frame. The belt is made up of a pluralityof complementary metal plates forming a flat support surface and having a plurality of upstanding flights or pushers 51 at regularly spaced intervals therealong. Mounted adjacent the pie conveyor 50 is a second endless conveyor belt 52 trained around a pair of sprocket-like drums 46 and 47 (FIG. 3) and similarly provided with upstanding flights or pusher members 53. The flights 53 of the secondary conveyor belt 52 are spaced from each other a distance equal to twice the distance between the flights 51 on the conveyor 50. The conveyor belt 52 is driven by suitable mechanism, hereinafter described, at a linear speed which is twice as fast as the linear speed of the conveyor belt 50. A guide plate 54 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is located adjacent the left side of the conveyor 50 and is adapted to guide the left Side of the pies being conveyed thereon. A second guide plate 55 is mounted adjacent the right side of the conveyor belt 52 and is provided with a relatively straight inner edge portion 56 which extends parallel to the conveyor belt 52, an inclined edge portion 57 which extends diagonally across the line of travel of the conveyor belt 52, and a terminal edge portion 58 which extends parallel to the right side of the conveyor belt 50 in spaced relation'with the inner edge of the guide plate 54. Pies travelling on the conveyor belt 52 are guided laterally by the inclined edge 57 so that they are transposed onto the conveyor belt 50.

In operation, two pies issuing side by side from the pie making machine (not shown) are deposited simultane ously onto the conveyor belts 50 and 52 immediately in front of the flights 51 and 53, respectively, thereof. Since the conveyor belt 52 is travelling at a greater speed than the conveyor chain 50, the pie on the conveyor belt 52 moves ahead of the pie received at the same time by the conveyor belt 50 and is guided by the edge 57 into a position on the conveyor belt 50 in front of said pie thereon. In order to provide proper spacing to permit the pies from the auxiliary conveyor belt 52 to be interposed between the pies on the conveyor chain 50, the conveyor belts 50 and 52 are supplied from the pie making machine with pics in front of alternate flights only on each of the conveyor belts. A pair of guide rails 59 and 59a are mounted one adjacent each side of the conveyor belt 50 beyond the forward ends of the guide plates 54- and 55 to guide the pies P on the conveyor belt 50.

The pie tamping and perforating mechanism of the present invention is indicated in its entirety at B and comprises a housing 60 mounted on a side plate 61 (FIG. 5) which is pant of the frame mechanism supporting the pie conveyor A. Mounted on the stationary housing 60, for rotation with respect thereto about an axis extending transversely above the conveyor A, is a rotating planetary gear housing 62 mounted in suitable bearings 63 within the upper portion of the housing 60. The rotating planetary housing 62 rotatably carries three tamping and perforating heads 64. The planetary housing 62 is rotated through a drive mechanism comprising a drive chain 65, driven in a suitable manner hereinbelow described, which drives a sprocket 66 fixed to a horizontal shaft 67 mounted in suitable bearings 68 and 69 within an internal boss 70 in the housing 60. A bevel gear 71 is fixed to the inner end of the shaft 67 and meshes with a companion bevel gear 72 fixed to the lower end of a vertical shaft 73 rotatably mounted in suitable bearings 74 and 75 in a vertical portion 76 of the housing 60. A bevel gear 77 is fixed to the upper end of the shaft 73 and meshes with a companion bevel gear 78 fixed to the rotating planetary housing 62 by a plurality of studs such as indicated at 79. Accordingly, when the shaft 67 is driven by chain 65, the housing 62 will rotate about the axis of bevel gear 78.

Each of the tamping and perforating heads 64 is mounted on the outer end of a stub shaft 80 which is rotatably carried by bearings 81 and 82 mounted in the rotating planetary housing 62. As best seen in FIG. 6, a planet gear 83 is fixed to each stub shaft 80 and each meshes with an idler gear 84 rotatably mounted on a stub shaft 85 fixed to the planetary housing 62. All three idler gears 84 mesh with a sun gear 86 fixed to a shaft 87 which extends through an axial opening 88 provided in the bevel gear 78 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 5. The rear end of the shaft 87 is splined to the housing 60 at 89. Suitable bearings 90 and 91 are interposed between the planetary housing 62 and the shaft 87 in order to maintain said shaft centralized with respect to said planetary housing. From the structure thus far described, it may be seen that the sun gear 86 is stationary, and since the sun gear 86 and the planet gears 83 are the same size, when the housing 62 is rotated, each of the tamping and perforating heads 64 is caused to move in translatory movement in a circular orbit about the axis of the shaft 87.

The three tamping and perforating heads 64 are all the same. Each comprises an upper bracket 100 (FIGS. 4, 5, and 7) fixed to the outer end of the associated shaft 80 by a set screw 101. The bracket 100 is provided with two parallel vertically extending bores (not shown) adapted to slidably receive a pair of pins 102 and 103 (FIGS. 4 and 7) which extend upwardly from and are fixed to a lower bracket member 104. A pair of collars 105 and 106 are adjustably secured to the upper ends of the pins 102 and 103, respectively, by set screws 107 and 107a on the collars 105 and 106, respectively. A pair of springs 108 and 109 surround the pins 102 and 103, respectively, between the lower surface of the upper bracket 100 and the upper surface of the lower bracket 104 and normally urge the lower bracket 104 downwardly relative to the upper bracket 100. A tamping plate 110 (FIG. 7) is fixed to the undersurface of the bracket 104 by a suitable machine screw in the manner indicated at 111. A stub shaft 112 (FIG. is fixed to the bracket 104 by a set screw 113 and extends rearwardly from said bracket and rotatably supports a roller 114. An angle bracket 115 is fixed to the stationary housing 60 with one flange thereof extending upwardly adjacent the pie conveyor A and a guide block 116 is adjustably secured to said upwardly extending flange by studs 117 extending through suitable vertically disposed slots (not shown) in said flange and threaded into said block. The roller 114 is adapted to strike the upper surface of the block 116 to limit the downward travel of the tamping plate 110.

As best seen in FIG. 7, the tamping plate 110 is provided with a plurality of apertures 120 arranged in any desired relationship with each other, for example, in the particular embodiment set forth herein, the apertures 120 are arranged in the form of a letter B. The arrangement may be in the form to indicate the type of pie, for example T for turkey, C for chicken, or it may be an initial indicating the maker of the pie. A plurality of perforating members 121, equal in number to and arranged in the same pattern as the apertures 120, are fixed to a circular plate 122. The plate 122 is disposed above the plate 110 and is provided with two upstanding studs 123 and 124 which extend upwardly through suitable slots 125 and 126, respectively, formed in the outer portion of the upper bracket 100. Suitable nuts 127 threadedly reoeived on the studs 123 and 124, respectively, above and below the upper bracket 100 adjustably secure the plate 122, and the perforating members 121 fixed thereto, in proper spaced relation with said bracket.

The action of the perforating and tamping heads 64 is best illustrated in FIGS. 8 through 10. In FIG. 8, the relationship of one of the perforating and tamping heads with a pie P on the conveyor A is shown just before the pie tamping and perforating head engages the pie P. In FIG. 9, the pie P has advanced to a position opposite the central vertical axis of the pie tamping and perforating station B, and the tamping and perforating head 64 has moved downwardly with respect to the pie and forwardly in conjunction therewith. In this position, the tamping plate is pressing downwardly on the upper surface of the pie P with a pressure controlled by the springs 108 and 109. The downward movement of the plate 110 is limited by the contact of the roller 114 with the upper surface of the guide block 116. The bracket 100 has moved downwardly relative to the bracket 104, and the perforating members 121 have consequently been projected through the apertures in the tamping plate 110 to perforate the upper crust of the pie P. FIG. 10 illustrates the withdrawal of the perforating members 121 from the upper surface of the pie P, and it will be seen that the action of the springs 108 and 109 maintains the tamping plate 110 in contact with the upper surface of the pie P until the perforating members 121 have been completely withdrawn therefrom, whereby the tamping plate 110 serves both to strip from the perforating members 121 any dough which may tend to adhere thereto, and to prevent the raising of the upper crust of the pie P by the withdrawal of the perforating members 121. A pair of guide rods 118 and 119, mounted to the frame of the machine by suitable brackets 128 and 129, respectively, overlie the outer edges of the pies P adjacent the tamping mechanism B and prevent the pies being raised from the conveyor A by adherence of the upper crust to the tamping plate 110.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the drive mechanism for the assembly described above comprises a motor and a variable ratio gear reducing unit 130 having an output shaft 131 to which there is affixed a drive sprocket 132. The sprocket 132 is connected by a chain 133 to a sprocket 134 on a line shaft 135. A bevel gear 136 fixed to the shaft meshes with a bevel gear 137 on a transverse shaft 138. A sprocket 139 on the shaft 138 drives the above-mentioned driving chain 65 of the tamping and perforating mechanism B.

A bevel gear 140 on one end of a line shaft 141 meshes with and is driven by the bevel gear 137. The line shaft 141 drives a transverse shaft 142 through a matched bevel gear set 143 and 144. A sprocket 145 fixed to the shaft 142, through a chain drive 146, drives a sprocket 147 fixed to a shaft 148 on which the abovementioned drum '49 of the pie conveyor A is fixed.

The pie conveyor A turns the drum 48 about which it is trained and which in turn is fixedly mounted on a shaft 149. The drum '46 of the auxiliary conveyor 52 is rotatably mounted on shaft 149. A sprocket 150 is fixed to one end of the shaft 149 and is connected by a chain 151 with a sprocket 152 on a shaft 153 to which the drum 47 of the conveyor 52 is fixed. The gear ratio between the sprockets 150 and 152 is a two to one step up ratio whereby the conveyor 52 moves at twice the linear speed of the pie conveyor A.

In the operation of the device, the pies P issue from the pie making machine (not shown) two abreast, and the pics of each transversely aligned pair are simultaneously delivered to the conveyor belts 50 and 52 just in advance of alternate flights 51 and 53, respectively, thereon. As explained above, the pies on the conveyor belt 52 are advanced more rapidly than the companion pics on the belt 50 and are interposed therebetween by the inclined edge 57 of the guide plate 55 to form a ingle line of pics on the conveyor belt 50 of the main pie conveyor A. The pics on the pie conveyor A are conducted in single file past the pie tamping and perforating mechanism B at-which point the orbiting tamping and perforating heads 64 tamp the upper crust down to eliminate any upwardly extending projections, and perforate the upper crust of each pie to permit the escape of steam when the pies are ultimately cooked.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein, it is obvious that various changes can be made in its construction without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A pie tamping and perforating machine comprising a movable conveyor for advancing pies in single file along a path of travel, a housing mounted adjacent said conveyor for rotation about an axis extending transversely of the conveyor, a head rotatably mounted on said housing and spaced from said axis for orbital movement thereabout in a circular path, said head carrying pie tamping and pie perforating members, means mounting said pie tamping member for movement relative to said pie perforating member, means normally maintaining said members in spaced apart relation, means for rotating said housing in timed relation to the movement of said conveyor to align said tamping and perforating members with a pie on said conveyor as said members approach said conveyor during their said orbital movement, means for maintaining said tamping and perforating members in cooperating relation on said head in a predetermined angular relation to said conveyor throughout rotation of said housing, and means effective during alignment of said members with a pie as said members approach said conveyor for arresting movement of said tamping member toward the pie while maintaining movement of said perforating member toward the pie to decrease the spacing between said members, whereby as said members approach and are aligned with a pie on said conveyor said tamping member first engages and presses the pie and remains engaged therewith as the perforating member moves relatively to said tamping member to decrease the spacing therebetween and said perforating member continues to approach the conveyor to perforate the pie to produce a tamped and perforated pie on said con veyor, after which said members return to said normal spaced relation.

2. A pie tamping and perforating machine comprising a frame mounting a movable conveyor for advancing pies in single file along a path of travel, a housing mounted adjacent one side of said conveyor for rotation about an axis extending transversely of the conveyor, a plurality of heads rotatably mounted on said housing and spaced around said aXis for orbital movement thereabout in a circular path, each head carrying a pie tamping member and a pie perforating member, means mounting said pie tamping member for movement relative to said pie perforating member, means normally maintaining said members in spaced apart relation, means for rotating said housing in timed relation to the movement of said conveyor to align said tamping and perforating members with a pie on said conveyor as said members approach said conveyor during their said orbital movement, means for maintaining said tamping and perforating members in cooperating relation on the associated head in a predetermined angular relation to said conveyor throughout rotation of said housing, and means eifective during alignment of said members with a pie as said members approach said conveyor for arresting movement of said tamping member toward the pie while continuing movement of said perforating member toward the pie to decrease the spacing between said members, whereby as said members approach and are aligned with a pie on said conveyor said tamping member first engages and presses the pie and remains engaged therewith as the perforating member moves relatively to said tamping member to decrease the spacing therebetween and said perforating member continues to approach the conveyor to effect perforation of the pie to produce a tamped and perforated pie on said conveyor, after which said members return to said normal spaced relation.

3. The pic tamping and perforating machine of claim 2 wherein said tamping member is a perforated plate and said perforating member is a plate having perforating pins for projection through the perforations in said tam-ping plate, said maintaining means comprises spring means on said heads for urging said tamping plate away from the perforating plate, and said arresting means comprises a roller on said tamping plate engageable with a guide rail on said frame for limiting conveyor-approaching movement of said tamping plate as. said perforating member continues to approach said conveyor.

4. In a pie tamping and perforating mechanism, a conveyor for conveying pics in single file and in uniform spaced relation with each other along a predetermined path, a rotary housing mounted adjacent one side of said conveyor for rotation about an axis extending transversely above said predetermined path, a plurality of tamping and perforating heads rotatably mounted on said housing at points equally spaced about the rotational axis thereof, means for rotating said housing in timed relation to the speed of said conveyor, gear means disposed within said housing and connected to each of said tamping and perforating heads to restrict said heads to translatory movement as they orbit about said transverse axis upon rotation of said housing, said gear means comprising a stationary sun gear, idler gears rotatably mounted on stub shafts fixed to said rotary housing and meshing with said sun gear, and a planet gear meshing with each of said idler gears and fixed to one of said tamping and perforating heads.

5. In a pie tamping and perforating mechanism, a conveyor for conveying pies in single file and in uniform spaced relation with each other along a predetermined path, a rotary housing mounted adjacent one side of said conveyor for rotation about an axis extending transversely above said predetermined path, a plurality of tamping and perforating heads rotatably mounted on said housing at points spaced about the rotational axis thereof, means for rotating said housing in timed relation to the speed of said conveyor, gear means within said housing and geared to each of said tamping and perforating heads to restrict said heads to translatory movement as they orbit about said transverse axis during rotation of said housing, each of said perforating and tamping heads comprising a first plate, a plurality of perforating units fixed to and extending downwardly from said first plate, and a tamping plate mounted below said first plate and having a plurality of apertures therein arranged to permit the passage of said perforating members therethrough.

6. In a pie tamping and perforating mechanism, a conveyor for conveying pies along a predetermined path, a rotary housing mounted adjacent one side of said conveyor for rotation about an axis extending transversely of said predetermined path, a plurality of tamping and perforating heads rotatably mounted on said housing at points spaced about the rotational axis thereof, means for rotating said housing, gear means within said housing and geared to each of said tamping and perforating heads to restrict said heads to translatory movement as they orbit about said transverse axis during rotation of said housing, each of said perforating and tamping heads comprising a first plate, a plurality of perforating units fixed to and extending downwardly from said first plate, a tamping plate mounted below said first plate having a plurality of apertures therein arranged to permit the passage of said perforating members therethrough, said tamping plate being mounted for limited vertical movement relative to said first plate, and spring means normally urging said tamping plate to its lowermost position relative to said first plate.

7. In a pie tamping and perforating mechanism, a conveyor for conveying pies along a predetermined path, a rotary housing mounted adjacent said conveyor for rotation about an axis extending transversely of said predetermined path, a plurality of tamping and perforating heads rotatably mounted on said housing at points spaced about the rotational axis thereof, means for rotating said housing, gear means within said housing and connected to each of said tamping and perforating heads to restrict said heads to translatory movement as they orbit about said transverse axis during rotation of said housing, each of said perforating and tamping heads comprising a first plate, a plurality of perforating units fixed to and extending downwardly from said first plate, a tamping plate mounted below said first plate having a plurality of aperl5 lowermost position relative to said first plate,'a roller mounted on said tamping plate for rotation about a horizontal axis, and a gauge block adjustably secured adjacent said conveyor and adapted to be contacted by the roller of each of said heads to limit the downward movement of the tamping plates of said heads as said heads orbit about said transverse axis to contact each successive pie as it is moved past the tamping and perforating mechanism by said conveyor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 345,695 Heebner July 20, 1886 398,664 Sleeper Feb. 26, 1889 1,459,166 Smith June 19, 1923 1,480,250 Ehrlich Jan. 8, 1924 1,785,204 Nelson et a1. Dec. 16, 1930 2,030,598 Liles Feb. 11, 1936 

